In addition to the educational benefits of conference attendance, here are a few reasons to visit Wesleyan University:

· After over ten years of planning, the Usdan University Center and the adjacent renovated Fayerweather building, which retains the towers of the original Fayerweather structure as part of its façade, opened its doors in 2007. Located in the geographic center of campus, the Usdan Center is a focal point of activity for the campus community. The three-story, triangular brick building houses airy dining facilities, post office, ample meeting spaces, the box office, student organization offices, retail space and café. A rear terrace provides a high-up view of Andrus Field, Olin Library, Foss Hill and College Row.

· Just a short walk from campus, visit Main Street, Middletown. Recently named one of America’s Romantic Main Streets by the National Trust for Historic Preservation! “Middletown’s allure includes an artful Main Street brimming with elegant restaurants, an award-winning local chocolatier, and the romantic Inn at Middletown, offering the best of New England charm”. Be sure to check out O’Rourke’s diner featured on Diner’s Drive In’s and Dives, as well as Gourmet Magazine.

· Visit President Woodrow Wilson’s classroom when he was on faculty here.

· See Dennison Terrace from which the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. gave the baccalaureate sermon in 1964 and where then Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama, gave the 2008 Commencement address.

Fun fact:Walter H. Heideman, Wesleyan Student Affairs Staff member, was President of ACUI from 1942 – 1943. The Heideman Award is given annually to an outstanding student employee working in Student Affairs!

Early bird registration ends on Oct. 11!

Rates:
Professional Staff and Undergraduates: Early Bird: $180 After October 11th: $200
Graduate Students: $165 – There will not be a price increase after the Early Bird deadline!Visit the conference website for more information at:acuir1conference.com

It’s that time again…registration for the ACUI Region 1 Conference is now LIVE! You may be asking yourself, “why should I attend this year’s conference?” Or, “what will make this year’s conference different from last year?” Or perhaps, “how can I convince my supervisor to pay for this?!” So the CPT thought it would be helpful to provide you with the top 5 reasons you MUST attend the 2013 regional conference at Wesleyan University:

It’s the last year the Region 1 conference will be held in New England. Next year we will be Region 8!

We’ve redesigned the opening keynote session to be more interactive and facilitate connections right from the start of the conference.

You’ll have an opportunity to shape the educational content by participating in the “Unconference” segment of the schedule.

Participate in an active service project led by our closing speaker Hannah Brencher. Grab a sneak peek here. You will also be able to schedule an individualized coaching session with Gavin Henning for assessment questions, concerns, and dilemmas from the mundane to the complex.

We will offer educational sessions, round tables and flash sessions as we always do, but they will focus on celebrating the Spirit of 1nnov8ion! Come share your innovative ideas and maybe take a few back home with you!

Early Bird Registration Ends October 11! Visit the conference website for more information at:

We hope you and your colleagues will consider joining us for this summer’s ACUI Region 1 Drive-Around Tour! This year’s tour will feature facilities at schools from southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts, and will take place over two days, from July 16-17, 2013. In order to help you get a feel for what to expect, here are some of the planned highlights for the tour.

The program will start on Tuesday, July 16 at Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, NH. Here, we’ll check out the Robert A. Freese Student Center, which underwent a full renovation, completed in December of 2012. Unique features include a student-run Pub, multi-functional student organization suite, and interfaith prayer room.

After lunch at SNHU, the tour will continue on to Keene State College in Keene, NH. Participants will be treated to a tour of the LP Young Student Center, with features including an overview of the Building Event Specialist Team and the Night Owl Café “Sizzler” lunch program.

Day Two of the tour will begin at Fitchburg State University in Fitchburg, MA. The main focus of this stop will be the Hammond Campus Center, a 200,000 square foot facility that is currently undergoing a full renovation. The space features a full student events/setup staff that handles over 4,000 events and meetings each year. In addition, the building is dual purpose, as it also houses a library.

Our final stop on the tour will be Merrimack College in North Andover, MA. Here, we’ll explore the Gladys Sakowich Campus Center and Anthony Sakowich Recreation Center, a 130,000 square foot facility that is the centerpiece of the campus. This building has a number of features, including a service learning center, a Pub, and multiple meeting rooms.

These are just a few of the highlights that will be featured in this summer’s Drive-Around Tour. There is certainly a whole lot more to see! We hope you’ll join us for one or both of the days. A one day tour is $30.00 for ACUI members, or you can attend both days for $50.00. Lunches are included for both tour days, in addition to small snacks. Participants can provide their own transportation or can opt to take a group bus for an extra $10.00 per person.

If you plan on attending both days, we recommend the Holiday Inn Express in Keene, NH for overnight accommodations (http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/keene/). At the end of the second day, we will head back to Southern New Hampshire University to pick up any cars left on campus the first day.

With great enthusiasm, I invite you to the ACUI Region 1 Conference to be held at Wesleyan University on November 15-17, 2013. This conference marks the turning of another page in the history of ACUI. In 2014 we move from Region 1 to Region 8. Although our number may change, our spirit, our values, and the core of what Region 1 is all about – its members – will not! Help us to celebrate this change…reinvention…transformation…this 1nnov8ion.

The vision for 2013 is to deliver quality educational programs and networking opportunities that can only be experienced through attending a Regional Conference. This year’s conference guarantees to embrace innovation. We’re doing things a bit differently, utilizing technology to its fullest potential, and making changes to the schedule to create more opportunities for us to engage with one another. We would love for you to join us and share how you are being innovative and finding novel solutions to important problems on your campus.

Wesleyan creates a perfect setting for our conference. As the website states:”Wesleyan Universityis known for the excellence of its academic and co-curricular programs. About 2,900 undergraduates—and some 200 graduate students—from around the world pursue their classroom studies, research projects, and co-curricular interests in ways that are demanding and intensely rewarding. Here, on a beautiful campus overlooking the Connecticut River, students learn to do productive and innovative work that makes a positive difference in the world—that’s what Wesleyan is about.” As the Conference Chair, and also a Wesleyan Staff member, I have the unique opportunity to showcase the best that Wesleyan and ACUI has to offer. I am confident that along with the amazing group of professionals that comprise the Conference Planning Team (CPT) and Host Team we will deliver a rich and memorable conference experience.

We look forward to seeing you in Middletown, CT in November! Whether you are looking to be inspired by the excellent education program, reconnect with old friends or make new ones, mark your calendars and get prepared to take advantage of all this conference has to offer!

Johnson & Wales University’s Student Activities team is seeking qualified candidates for the Assistant Director of Student Activities Operations position. This position will serve as a member of the Student Activities team to oversee the operations and production of several campus venues, work closely with student leaders to facilitate events, advise student clubs and organizations, and assist with major university programs, among other duties. The position information and application are posted online at: https://work.jwu.edu/applicants/jsp/shared/frameset/Frameset.jsp?time=1368813025891.

If you know any qualified candidates, please pass the information along.

The ACUI Region Education Council is taking our popular Brown Bag Chats to the next level! Join us for a Google Hangout to discuss best practices, challenges, ideas, and issues with outdoor programs.

We want to hear from you:
What does this l ook like at your institution?
What types of programs do you have?
What are the risk concerns?
Who coordinates and manages your outdoor programs?
Successes? Challenges?
Best Practices

The Association of College Unions International is pleased to announce that voting is now open for the regional director positions in the newly formed eight regions. The slate of candidates for all regions can be viewed from www.acui.org/volunteer (choose “Voting Center”).

While the existing 15-region structure will remain through the end of the year, for these elections, members will vote for candidates who will represent the newly formed eight regions. The newly elected regional directors will begin their work in July to plan for 2014. The current regional directors and Regional Leadership Teams will remain active until the end of 2013. Information about the regional restructuring can be found at www.acui.org/regions.

Members can now view candidate profiles and vote online. Voting concludes May 3 at 11 p.m. Eastern. The individual with the most votes in each region will win the regional director position.

You must have an ACUI website username and password to access this information. If you do not have a login, go here. Visit this page if you have forgotten your username and password.

We have asked the candidates not to campaign on their behalf, and we ask the same of you. Once you have read the candidate statements, you are welcome to contact any candidate and ask any clarifying questions to help you determine for whom you will vote.

Other Regional Restructuring Updates

2014 and 2015 regional conference requests for proposals and applications will be available April 30.

Regional Leadership Team applications will be available June 4.

If you have any trouble accessing this information, please contact the ACUI Central Office at 812.245.ACUI (812.245.2284) or acui@acui.org.

I have the exciting privilege of being part of the CPT for the 2014 ACUI conference in Orlando. When we first met as a team in Orlando last December, not only did we get to know each other and the fabulous JW Marriott facility, but we shared an incredible experience volunteering at Give Kids the World.

Give Kids the World is a resort for children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses and their families. It was founded by a hotelier who, about 25 years ago, got a letter from a little girl who said she was pretty sick and had a dream to visit Disney. She asked if she could stay at his hotel. He got busy calling all his friends at American Airlines, Perkins Restaurants, Disney, Hertz, etc. and finally, about three weeks later, called the little girl to tell her that she and her family could come to FL, all expenses paid. He was devastated to learn that the little girl had died during the time it took him to get all the details in place. He vowed not to let that happen again, so he started raising money and setting up a system so that he could respond to requests immediately. That’s how Give Kids the World was born.

It is now a 70 acre resort with 70 duplexes where 140 families can stay for a week at a time. Families are referred by Make a Wish or similar organizations. All their expenses are paid including airfare, rental car, housing, food, and tickets to the four major parks. Give Kids the World is a complete resort unto itself. It has the first pool in the US to accommodate wheelchairs. It has a restaurant, a movie theatre, chapel, and life size Candyland playground. It has an ice cream parlor that opens at 8 a.m. every day. There is a game “room” that is as big as many people’s houses complete with billiards, video games, radio controlled boats, and a train set that would fill our living room. Oh, and don’t forget the outdoor theater, train ride, and stream. Every Monday night they celebrate Halloween and every Thursday night is Christmas, complete with snow from their snow making machine.

They say that 93% of all money raised goes to help the kids; only 7% is for overhead. They only have 120 employees and rely on 1400 shifts of volunteers every week. They have a roster of 17,000 volunteers who volunteer on a regular basis. (The man who gave us our has volunteered once a week for 10 years.) They also have a list of 50,000 volunteers who have come once (like we did, for example) to give a few hours as part of a corporate event, or donate a day out of their vacation. It is such a joyous, beautiful place that it is easy to forget why it exists.

I share this with you to think about volunteering at Give Kids the World if you and your family should find yourself in Orlando. The CPT is also hoping that we can take groups of ACUI volunteers to Give Kids the World during the Orlando conference. Please consider this opportunity. You will never regret it!

Thanks for listening!

Victoria Angis
Assistant Dean for Campus Life, Castleton State College